News in brief: sad demise of ship the Prince once captained

The minesweeper that Prince Charles captained during his Royal Navy career has sunk in the Merseyside dock where it had fallen into disrepair (David Sanderson writes).

According to Phil Owens, a blogger who writes about ships in northwest England, the prince has been approached to see if he can help save HMS Bronington.

Prince Charles takes the final salute before leaving HMS BroningtonMirrorpix

“If he was to turn around and say, ‘I will save my ship’ then everyone would come out of the woodwork,” Mr Owens said. “She could be used for so much more. The ship is quite unique. Restoring her would be an experience for apprentices and navy personnel.”

Prince Charles captained the ship, which was launched in 1953, for ten months from February 1976. After its navy service the vessel, which has…

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